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The Gold Coast Railroad Museum
The Gold Coast Railroad Museum
opened in 1956, in Miami, Florida, constructed on a former Naval Air
Station named Richmond, that already had three miles of tracks that
would be perfect to showcase many of the engines and other railroad
cars that the museum would acquire. One of the main attractions is
the Presidential Car "Ferdinand Magellan" with a collection of rail
transport modeling. It is one of the few in the nation that still
offers rides on the numerous engines and cars, with one, a caboose
giving a really exciting ride for the entire family. The history of
this museum is rather strange, since it was a rare opportunity of
various people that came together to create the museum which has
become one of the finest in the nation. In 1956, Bill Godfrey was a
business administration student at the University of Miami, as well
as a railroad enthusiast. While there, he learned that on the south
campus there were many miles of unused track sitting on 2100 acres
of high pineland that had been a naval air station, a WWII airship
base called Richmond. Sometime after the war, the navy abandoned the
base, leasing the land to the university for nonprofit and
educational reasons. The university then used the base for returning
GIs and botanical research. Since the university was an all male
campus, the barracks could be used for both students and returning
veterans. Bill knew that with the three miles of track, it would be
a great place for an operating engine, that could be used for
historical, educational and engineering attraction. He went to the
university's president, Dr. Jay F. W. Pearson, who also was a fan of
the railroads. He liked the idea and the seeds of change began to
take growth. The U. S. Sugar Company was based in Clewiston, Florida
with a few steam engines that they wanted to retire. Mr. Hare of the
company was contacted, with the president and executive vice
president going to the town to pick out one of the locomotives,
#153. The company agreed to donate the engine to the university, and
by 1957, the engine was on its way to the new museum. Once there,
the ceremonies took place and over the next year, more equipment was
added; like the 1958 Seaboard Air Line Jim Crow car that was part
baggage and part passenger, and in August, 1958, an Apalachicola
Northern blue caboose was added. They set up the place in one of the
old wooden warehouses and named it "Dogpatch Station", and the
society members calling the whole thing the Gold Coast Railroad. On
Sundays, the society would dress up in proper attire and visitors
could ride the train. In April of 1958, the former Presidential
Pullman "Ferdinand Magellan became a surplus to the government and
it was an armor plated railcar used by Presidents Roosevelt, Truman
and Eisenhower. Godfrey found out that the car would be put on the
surplus list, knowing that the surplus items had to be offered to
any of the 48 states that wanted them. Bill went to the president of
the university once more to get the fantastic car, who agreed, and
the formal request was made by the state development commission.
Since no other state was interested in the old car, it was
transferred to the state which in turn gave it to the university.
The car arrived without fanfare, and it didn't look special enough
to be used as the US Car #1, but no one there cared since they knew
its value and history. In 1959 they acquired another passenger car
from the Florida East Coast Railway and in 1960 the Atlantic Coast
Line donated a wooden caboose. In 1961, the Frisco Line donated a
Gondola freight car, as well as the Southern Railway giving a
baggage express car, that eventually became the museum car filled
with all the memorabilia of railroading. In 1962, the Florida East
Coast donated a track section car and in 1965, the Southern Railway
donated a freight box car that would be used for spare parts.
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